


Strangers Like Me

by kromatus, urabaeia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Galra Keith (Voltron), Other, Slow Burn, but a happy one, tarzan!au, this au was actually an accident
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-26 08:30:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17138429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kromatus/pseuds/kromatus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/urabaeia/pseuds/urabaeia
Summary: Katie Holt travels lightyears away to continue Dr. Kogane's research on a far away planet, Daibazaal. She's surprised with what she finds.





	1. Chapter 1

The ship rumbled as it rocketed through the atmosphere of Daibazaal. It was unlike anything they could have ever imagined. While their countless research indicated the planet had an odd shape, this isn’t what they were expecting. Dr. Kogane described it as a planet that had extreme poles, but this was a pole, and a negative one, if that could even make sense. The planet's odd shape caused weird gravitational pulls on different parts and poles of the planet, messing with the instruments on the craft. Katie Holt had taken precaution to this, doing years and years of research based on the work of known scientist, Dr. Kogane. 

Dr. Kogane made multiple trips to Daibazaal, but none of his research ever included much of the surface of the planet. All of his work was only on what could be seen with the instruments on his ship and a telescope. He concluded he could see some semblance of terrain, alluding it to be red and grey and color, and almost desolate. Katie wasn't satisfied with those answers. She needed to know more. Year and years she spent applying for grant after grant to get the money and government okay to venture to Daibazaal and collect as many samples as possible to further the research of her home planet.   


"Pidge," her pilot, Lance, called out to her, "Hull is starting to overheat. We're breaking past the cloud barrier... now!" He exclaimed, a large smile on his face while all of the instruments on the panel in front of them slowed their erratic movement, the core of the ship cooling down quickly.   


Katie ran to the front of the ship as it activated its reverse boosters and came to a much slower speed. Outside the glass window was a plateau of, in fact, red and grey soil. A few semblances of vegetation littered the scape, but nothing caught her eye more than the swirling liquid in the distance.  She smiled to herself, her heart so full from their success, "We did it, boys."   


Katie turned back to face the control panel to assess the conditions of the planet. ”Oxygen levels appear to be stable enough that we shouldn’t need our helmets and the temperature looks about 64 degrees Fahrenheit. We should be fine in just our space suits.” She called over her shoulder, “Hunk! Could you please gather up the equipment we need to collect the samples? And Lance, could you help him?” Katie reached into her bag to check her notes one last time before they exited the ship. “I’m going to find something amazing here I just know it!” She wasn’t going to let all her time and effort into this trip go to waste. Once she finished scanning her notes, she stuffed them back in her bag and threw it over her shoulder. “Are we ready guys? Let’s go!”  
  
One by one they all filed out of the spacecraft and stepped onto the reddish soil. There weren’t very many signs of vegetation, but the planet’s surface was far from being barren. Many plants similar to ones you would find in a dessert could be seen, like those similar to cacti and the like. It made sense with how the climate of the planet was. “These plants look a lot like the cacti you can find back on Earth! Make sure you take some samples Hunk! I wanna study these back at the lab!” Katie excitedly wandered away from the ship towards what appeared to be a small pond. “I wonder what this is. I should take a sample.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a small test tube and a rubber stopper. She carefully dipped it in the water and plugged it with the stopper, and gently placed it in her bag.  
  


* * *

 

Roaring echoed in the valley. It grated against his ears, which perked at every new fluctuation in the sound.    


"Argh! What is that sound?!" Keith growled, trying to cover his ears from the sound. But he could not block it out. "If this doesn't stop soon, then--"   


And then it did. It did with a thud against the earth. "What the--" He turned over in his bed and pushed his legs out to sit up. He was upset it interrupted his sleep, and he was going to make sure that whatever bothered him would have his wrath.  
He secured his shoes and retrieved his hood and cloak, wrapping himself up. His knife was secure on his hip. The pants he slept in would have to do. 

Ready to go.   


Today was a bit hotter than normal. Sweat beaded on Keith's forehead, his paler than the average Galra skin. He climbed over hills and over mountains, making sure to be as quiet as possible and blending in with his surroundings, just like his mother taught him. Over the next hill, he spotted the source of the sound. It was a large spaceship, settled peacefully on the crust of his planet. Near to it he saw aliens moving around, taking pieces of his planet and securing them into containers. 

  
Memories of his father explaining his old profession to him flooded back. _These must be some of those "scientists" dad talked about_. Keith skulked forward, continuing to hide his presence. The closer her got, the more he noticed. They wore thin material suits, and they're skin colors ranged heavily. And besides the hair on their heads, they were completely bald. Keith was balder than the other Galra, but he still had some fur covering his vital areas, and tufted out his ears. _These must be humans...like dad..._ Again, he moved closer. 

He froze, though, when he saw the unmistakable bulge of a gun strapped to one's hip. He mulled over his options, and decided to sit still, and continue to watch.   


"I'm going to go explore a little over that way!" Katie pointed in the direction of a few hills, "You guys keep collecting samples of whatever you can find and I'll meet you back here in a little bit!" 

  
"Roger that Pidge! You can count on us!" Lance turned around and held up another test tube with some of the reddish dirt inside and placed it in his own bag. "Call us over if you need anything!"

  
"Will do! See you guys in a bit!" Katie pulled a notebook and a pen out of her bag as she  headed in the direction of the hills. Gravity was almost the same as it was on Earth so she didn't have any problems climbing up the hill. Once she reached the top she started speaking aloud her analysis of the area, as she didn't think anyone or anything else was listening.

  
"Okay, so they have a lot of plants similar to the ones we have. That's interesting. I wonder if these plants use photosynthesis the same way ours do? I can't wait to run tests on them later!" She scribbled her thoughts down in her notebook as she mumbled to herself, a huge smile on her face. "No other signs of life yet though. That's odd, this planet should be a pretty hospitable environment to sustain life. Maybe if I keep walking I'll come across something else."  
  


Keith kept his distance as he watched the human observe the flora of his planet. They spoke the same language his father spoke. _English_ , Keith thought, _I wonder if they are from the same type of human dad is_. They moved erratically at times, they're excitement visible, and-- he groaned-- audible. His ears twitched at every crunch under the human's foot, every gasp from their mouth, and every squeal. He pulled his ears back, irritated, trying to distance himself from the sounds.   
Keith made a step forward, exhaling with his step to keep his composure. But it wasn't enough. He kicked a rock, which clapped across the arid ground. His heart stopped.  


_ No. _ __   
  


”Huh? What was that?!" Katie jumped when she heard something move behind her and quickly turned to face whatever or whoever it was. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" She reached to her side placing her hand over her knife, ready to defend herself if she needed to.   
  


There was silence between them. He waited with baited breath watching the human move to the knife on their hip.  _ Better than a gun _ , he thought. Keith was confident in his fighting prowess. If needed, and at worst, he knew he could most likely take on this human and be able to defeat them easily. Or, at the very least, catch them by surprise and subdue them.

  
He still had options. If he could steady his breathing, he could probably stay in hiding. But, if the humans curiosity got the best of them, as his father often said it did, then they would come searching for him anyway. There was no wind to give explanation to the pebbles sudden movement. And there was no fauna skittering nearby either. He either showed himself on his own or was going to be found.

  
His own hand moved down to his knife, hovering over it at the ready. The human made a few more steps his direction, and he decided now was when he would close the gap. Keith leaped from his position, quickly withdrawing his knife simultaneously. He tackled the human to the ground, one hand holding the arm closest to the knife to the ground, his legs straddled over their waist, and his own knife at their throat.

  
Keith growled, baring his teeth.   


_ “Are hos da?” _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Kidgemas, you guys. ♥💚

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure lunge towards her. Before she could even think about drawing her blade any further she was forced to the ground.   
  
"Wh-whoaaa!" She yelled as she collapsed into the red dirt, squeezing her eyes shut as to not get any of the dust in her eyes.    
  


“ _ Are hos da _ ?” (Who are you?)

  
When she opened them she looked up and saw a purple-skinned creature, sitting on top of her, with a knife to her throat. It had her arm pinned down and she was unable to move. Her hazel eyes met theirs as they stared at each other. The eyes of her attacker were something brilliant. Yellow scleras and deep purple irises, bordering on black.   
  
She broke eye contact to examine her attacker further. The first distinct feature she noticed were its ears. They were pulled back like an angry cat and had little tufts of hair poking out of them. It had hair in other places too, such as its arms and exposed stomach, but mostly it was just purple skin she saw, covered by grey pants and a hood.   
  
The purple skinned creature broke the silence by saying something she couldn't understand. It sounded angry. She might die. It should have been a scary situation but instead, her excitement took over.   
  
"Oh my god, I knew there were other living beings here! And you speak your own language? Fascinating! So are you some sort of alien? Do you speak my language? Do you even understand what I'm saying right now?" She stared back up at his eyes as she waited for a response. Or maybe her death. She didn't care. At last, she had found what she was looking for.   
  


Keith's ears twitched angrily at every sound they made. They were speaking to him, he knew, and their tone was somewhat...cheery? But he still did not know what the words meant, and whether or not he should take any more measures. He kept his knife steady.    
  
" _ Yl da rund Galra _ ?" He forced the question out with his jaw clenched tightly, his teeth still barred. (Do you know Galra?)   
  


Katie continued staring at them, very aware of the knife still being held against her neck. It muttered something else she didn't understand.   
  


It was then he got a better look at exactly what this human looked like. Their hair was almost the color of the ground beneath them, a muted red, almost brown in tone. Their eyes were large, and a color so bright he hadn't seen besides his father's earth artifacts. The space suit’s pattern was fascinating to him, but not more so than the color it was. Their figure was smaller than his own. The more his eyes scanned the human beneath him, the more he noticed other features, like their small hands, the glasses on their face -- similar to the ones his father wore on occasion -- and the...   
  
His face grew hot as his eyes landed on the human's chest. Unmistakable, and like some of his own people, this human had... breasts.   
  
The creature broke their eye contact and its eyes began to wander. She watched as they examined her, noticing their face blush a little as its eyes landed on her chest. Katie chuckled to herself.  _ Aw they look embarrassed. How cute. I don't think someone who blushes so easily could be a threat. I should probably let them know that I'm not one either. _ __  
  
"I don't know what you're saying but Guh. Guhl. Guhl-rah? Is that what you are? I don't want to hurt you," She pointed to herself with her free arm. "I-am-Katie. Kay-tee."   
  


With an eyebrow raised, Keith listened intently to what the human beneath him said. He still couldn't understand it's words, but the attempt it made to say his language, his species, was amusing enough. It was trying, and he'd give it that. He lowered his knife slowly, attaching it to his hip again in its scabbard of sorts. Dust kicked up around them as he shuffled to get off of the human.    
  
The gesture of pointing to their own arm and the sounds they made seemed familiar. He had seen this before, somewhere, somehow. They were saying their name.   
  
_ Kay-tee?  _   
  
Keith cocked his head, his ears twitching, his eyebrow still raised. With an outstretched finger, he pointed to the human, "Kay...tee..."   
  
The sounds were unnatural on his tongue. It didn't flow like his native tongue, and it grated like bad meat in his mouth. Though, to be honest, his name didn't fit either. It was a human name, he knew, one his father had picked, and his mother agreed. But, at the end of the day, he still kept the K like his mother, and it proved his Galra lineage.    
  
Keith pointed to his chest, over his heart, "Keith."   
  


She stood up and put her knife back in her belt once they climbed off of her. "You're Keith?"  _ That's a pretty human name _ , she thought to herself.  _ Why would an alien have such a human name? _ Katie's brain was restless coming up with various explanations to this.   
  
She shook her head and brought her attention back to him. "Nice to meet you Keith!" she extended her hand out to them.   
  


He circled her. More dust clouded around the two. The yellow and black eyes scanned over the human multiple times. The white and green suit was sleek and simple. A functioning atmosphere system attached. Although he didn’t see the helmet, Keith could deduce that a suit this advanced would have an equally advanced helmet with a communication system. And then, he wondered, if the human had their helmet, would they have called for reinforcements to kill him?   
  
He shook those thoughts out of his head.    
  
His people weren’t a war-nation, but they also weren’t the most diplomatic. They only attacked when provoked or self-defense, and were neutral in every other instance. But having a scientist for a father that instilled in him the importance of curiosity and always asking questions, Keith got into a lot of trouble over just wondering why.   
  
Coming full circle, Keith stared a hole in the human's forehead, refusing to make eye contact. He had no idea what they were saying. At this point, he could assume the gesture was meant to be friendly, but he wasn’t sure how to reciprocate.   
  
He held his hand out, upturned. He would repeat the words, but he wasn’t listening if he was honest.   
  


Her eyes followed them as they walked around her, most likely checking to see if she was a threat. She felt small as they towered over her, knowing that at any second they could change their mind and attack her. The creature stopped walking and stood in front of her staring, but refused to look her in the eyes.    
  
A normal person would probably be scared. However, this was Katie, the girl whose curiosity outweighed any fear she may have been feeling. She chuckled and grabbed their hand, giving it a few shakes. "This is how we say hello! Is there a different way to greet others here, Keith? You'll have to show me! I wonder what other things you guys do differently? How do you say goodbye? Do you high-five? What about...." she continued rambling various questions towards them.   
  


He pouted his lips, his ears flat back against his head. The more the human talked, the more irritated he became. With brows furrowed and his hair on end, he finally spoke.   
  
" _ Sek nand _ ." (Shut up.)   
  
A simple command. His voice was gruff and definitely annoyed. Keith knew the human couldn't understand him, and this language barrier was too much. They were never going to understand each other at this rate. His father was needed. But how could he communicate that effectively?   
  
He could feel his ears twitching as he thought through the process. An annoying habit he picked up as a child.

 

Katie's rambling was cut off by their irritated response. It sounded like they were frustrated and wanted her to stop talking. It made sense since neither seemed to know what the other was saying. She watched as he looked at her deep in thought, his ears twitching.  _ Oh my god it's like a giant kitty, _ she thought to herself. It was kind of cute. Katie couldn't help but smile at the thought of rubbing its ears. They looked really soft and fluffy....   
  
" _ Matc il _ ." Another command, pointing to the ground below his feet. Maybe they could understand his gesture. (Wait here.)   
  
He turned on his heel and bolted back to the direction of his home. He wouldn't allow the human to follow him home and possibly bring danger to his family and people.   
  
Her attention was snapped back when the creature pointed at the ground and said something else that sounded like a command. Before she had time to respond, it took off and ran in the opposite direction. They were too fast for Katie to follow, so she stayed where she was. "I guess it wants me to stay here? I hope it comes back soon. There's so much I want to learn from them!"   
  


She sighed and decided to remain where she assumed she was told to stay. Pulling her notebook out of her bag she took a seat on the ground and started scribbling a picture of what the creature looked like in her notebook. "I guess I'll wait a little while and if they don't come back soon I'll go back to the others."   
  


Wind whipped at his face as he raced home. Jumping over every rock and obstacle in his way pumped blood faster through his body. The thrill of running, of his agility, it was always something he had been proud of. The days he spent training weren't in vain. He was faster, more agile, and it was obvious. He made a mental note to thank his mother later.   
  
The village came into view as he crested over a nearby hill and slid down. His village was smaller than the nearby ones, consisting of those who trained under his mother and her school and their families. They liked their life of solitude away from the main city, full of various Galra and other aliens that made their home on Daibazaal.    
  
"Dad!" Keith called out as he burst through the door, "Dad!"   
  
Dr. Kogane peeked from around a corner. He seemed to be in his office and most likely working. His hair was disheveled, and his glasses a little dirty. Even on Daibazaal, and even continuing his work as a scientist, Keith's mother never let his father rest his body. Dr. Kogane trained often with Keith and his mother, and kept his strong physique he brought with him from his life on Earth.    
  
"What is it, Keith?" His voice was full of concern, an eyebrow raised.   
  
Keith took a moment to steady his breathing and his heart. "...Humans, dad. Humans have landed, and not too far away."   
  
Dr. Kogane's face froze in an odd panicked excitement. 

 

_ "What?"  _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leia and I want to take a moment to thank all of you who are reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. This is a labor of love and laughs so we're really glad you all are enjoying it. And a big thank you [Voltronrising](http://voltronrising.tumblr.com/post/152314415110/galran-language-part-one-the-alphabet) for creating this Galran language I've used as a base.

Keith only nodded, confirming his statement. Dr. Kogane removed his glasses and tucked them into his breast pocket. "Show me."   
  


The two, father and son, came over the same hill Keith left the human on. Dr. Kogane was trying hard to catch his breath, bent over, his hands resting on his knees. Keith, somewhat surprised, was happy that the human had remained where he commanded them to, despite the language barrier. He pointed to them and tapped his father on the shoulder. "There," he whispered.   
  


Katie stood up and set her notebook to the side when she saw two figures approaching approaching her from the distance. One of them was this Keith, and the other one looked very familiar. 

  
Dr. Kogane composed himself, and made his way to the human. "Hello," he announced himself, speaking in english, "I'm Dr. Kogane."   
__  
__ What?   
  
Her eyes grew wide. It couldn't be.   
  
"Dr. Kogane!?" She looked up at him, her  face shocked. "I know exactly who you are! What in the world are you doing living here? I spent years of my life trying to get the money and permission to explore this planet that you supposedly never visited, and it turns out, you already have?" She looked over at Keith and then back at  Dr. Kogane. "And you know the inhabitants as well?"   
  


Keith approached behind his father, eyeing down the human again. They seemed just as excited to see his father as they had to meet him, if not more so.    
  
" _ Udi, ore resh? Are has vox? _ " Keith asked his father in a hushed tone. (Dad, what's up? Who is this person?)   
  
" _ Nai _ ," (Nothing) his father muttered to him, continuing to approach the human with a hand extended. "Ah, well," he spoke in english again to the human in front of him, "A lot has happened since I last sent my research in. It's always nice to meet a fan, especially in such odd circumstances," Dr. Kogane chuckled. "Please, call me Shane. You seem to have met my son," Shane emphasized, "Keith. And may I ask your name?"   
  


Keith was staring at her again. He muttered something else she couldn't understand and Dr. Kogane said something else back as if to quiet him.    
  


"N..nay...m.." Keith muttered to himself. "N-naym..  _ Udi, ore 'naym' _ ?" (Dad, what's “name”?)   
  
" _ 'Name' has ylno, Keith _ ."   
  
" _ So selvik ylno Kay-tee _ ," Keith spoke on behalf of the human. (That person's name is Kay-tee.)   
  
"Keith..." Shane sighed, "Please excuse him. You can introduce yourself."   
  
She accepted his hand and prepared to introduce herself when Keith started talking again. He seemed to be asking him what he said. Dr. Kogane responded and Keith replied with something that included mentioning her name.   
  
She gripped his hand and introduced herself. "My Name is Katie Holt. I've been studying your research back at the Garrison on Earth. I always knew there was more about this planet than you reported in your findings and I made it my life's work to learn more. "   
  
She looked back and forth between Keith and his dad.  _ His dad _ .   
  
"Wait just a minute. Did you just say he was your son?!" Katie asked, incredulous.   
  


Shane Kogane laughed. And he laughed heartily. Being sequestered on this planet with his wife and son has left him without human interaction the past 20 years of his life. He may have forgotten that this is not something that's normal. It wasn't normal then, either, but throughout the years, their union and their child was accepted all the same. Shane never imagined he would ever see another human again, and he had grown to accept it, and even embrace it. Human society had proven to be too exhausting for him. He worried he would never live up to the expectations set for him, once upon a time.   
  


She watched as her erupted in laughter as he tried to regain his composure and responded to her.    
  


"Yes, yes," he clenched his stomach, "My son." He wiped the tears from his eyes, and tried to stand straight again. "Katie, it's a pleasure to meet you. And did you say your last name was Holt? You don't happen to be related to Dr. Samuel Holt, do you?"   
  
Keith stood protectively beside his father, his arms crossed over his chest, staring down the human. 'Name' was beginning to be more and more familiar. _ Maybe _ , Keith thought,  _ I'll actually learn this English thing _ .   
  
"Ah well I'm guessing having a family here is one of the main reasons you never decided to return home. That makes perfect sense. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Shane. And yes, Dr. Holt is my father. He's the one who introduced me to your findings and inspired my work."   
  
She glanced over at Keith who was still watching her while standing by his dad in a defensive position. "Excuse me, Shane, but it appears I'm still seen as a threat by your son. Do you think you could explain to him that the rest of my team and I come in peace?"   
  


"Ah!" Shane exclaimed, "yes, yes of course. Keith," he turned to his son. They spoke quickly, Shane explaining to Keith that the human Katie and her crew were scientists, just like how he was, and they meant no harm.    
  
" _ Min? _ " (She?) Keith questioned. He never wanted to assume when it came to the physicality of alien races. He had come in contact with many who had no gender and no concept of it, and he felt at one point, his father said some humans didn't believe in a gender construct as well.   
  
Shane nodded to his son, confirming the pronouns for the girl in front of them. "Katie," he turned back to her, "I must still apologize for him. He won't be hostile or aggressive, but he's still... standoffish. Takes after his mother," Shane left Keith to stand on his own, his arms still crossed. "So, your crew? And yourself? Are you an employee at the Garrison?"   
  


After Shane explained to Keith that they meant no harm, she looked over at him, smiled, and winked. She turned her attention back to Shane.   
  
"Hey it's no problem. A strange human girl wanders onto his planet without warning? He reacted in the best way possible. I can't blame him for being suspicious. But I do hope that we can maybe be friends! There is a lot I'd like to learn from him! Oh and maybe I can meet his mother too?" She bounced a little as she talked, showing her obvious excitement.   
  
"Oh yeah, my crew is back past those hills collecting samples from the planet. Lance is our pilot and Hunk is our engineer. We all work for the Garrison back on Earth."   
  


"I'd love to introduce you to the Galra, but right now, I'd like to meet your crew and assess your work, if that's alright?" Shane cocked an eyebrow, looking down to the girl.

 

Keith was well aware how he towered over her, but she was dwarfed compared to his father. It was...endearing, he supposed. It was interesting to him to see such vast differences between two humans. Beings of the same race, same planet, and completely different appearances. Galra had many differences depending on region, but for the most part, they were mostly homogenous.    
  
However, Keith was growing more and more irritated with himself with his inability to understand what his father and this Katie human spoke of to each other. He regretted now, more than ever, not paying attention to his father's English classes back in his youth. Being kept out of the loop of conversation and information festered an annoying notch in his chest.   
  
Her gesture with her eyes was also something that caught him off guard. Was she having a hard time blinking? Unable to hold back, his lips pursed into an angry pout as he shrugged his shoulders at her, his eyebrows furrowed.   
  
What a weird creature.   
  


Keith made a face at her that looked like he was upset with her. He probably didn't know what winking was. She laughed at him and turned her attention back to Shane. "Yes of course!" she exclaimed. She was super excited that the Dr. Kogane wanted to look at her work! It was like a dream come true! "They are over this way, I'll take you to them!"    
  
  


  
  
Katie practically ran to the place where she left her crew. They looked like they were just about finished inspecting the area for samples.   
  
Lance noticed her approaching and waved at her. "Pidge! There you are! We were just about to start looking for you! Do you know how long you've been gone?"   
  
"I know I know. I'm sorry I was gone so long but you guys aren't going to believe this! I found a real live alien! And apparently there are more of them inhabiting this planet as well!" She ran up to them and stopped while breathing heavily. She took a  deep breath before continuing. "But the most exciting thing is this! Look who I found!" She pointed at the top of the hill where Dr. Kogane and Keith were walking down towards them.   
  
Hunk and Lance's mouths dropped open when they say who it was.  Hunk was the first one to speak.   
  
"Wait a minute. Is that Dr. Kogane?!"

  
  


"Dad, who are these people? I know you said scientists, but they seem much more interested in you that you are to see humans on Daibazaal," Keith spoke rapid fire the closer they got to the collection of humans by their ship.   
  
"Well, uh," Shane Kogane muttered, his eyes darting as he searched for his Galran words, "I never told the people on earth I was staying. I submitted my research and destroyed my communications devices, when your mother told me she was pregnant with you."   
  
"What?"   
  
"So there's a possibility people of earth think I'm dead. Well, besides these couple, now."    
  
Shane slid down the dusty hill, clouds puffing around him and obstructing Keith's vision. Keith was dumbstruck and remained still on the top of the hill. Black irises locked on as his father stumbled to the human camp. All their lips flapped, each of them trying their hardest to speak to his father first.   
  
_ What the hell is going on? _ __  
  
Keith followed after his father and slid down the hill, kicking up more sand and dust. He stumbled and tripped as he tried to catch himself, and kept his distance, looking on with his arms crossed in front of his chest again.   
  


 

Lance and Hunk instantly bombarded Dr. Kogane with questions about where he was and why he never returned to Earth. Katie listened intently to their conversations until she noticed Keith still keeping back from the rest of the group. Her curiosity got the better of her and she walked over to where he was standing.    
  
"Hello again, Keith," she said as she smiled and waved at him. "Can we be friends?" She reached her hand out to him, hoping he would recognize the action from earlier.   
  


She spoke his name, a bit more cheery than before. Her extended hand was reminiscent of the greeting action from earlier, one she also performed with his father. Scrutinizing her every move, Keith hesitantly reached forward, and took her hand in his. It was small, really small. He lifted his arm up and down stiffly, worried he wasn't performing the action correctly and would somehow cause an adverse reaction out of her.   
  
"Kay...tee," he mumbled through his clenched jaw. The 'hello' was foggy in his mind. He knew he had heard the word, and maybe even knew its meaning once upon a time. It was one of the first English words he was taught, he thinks, or one of them. He wondered, though...   
  
"H-hehlow..."   
  


Katie giggled as he shook her hand. He was trying so hard and she could tell. "That's pretty good but you're too stiff," She moved her free hand to rest on his arm. As she touched him she felt some of his tufts of fur. His arm was so soft and warm.   
  
"Try relaxing your arm a bit and just use your wrist. Then move it up and down like this."  She demonstrated with her own arm and looked him in the eyes. "Hello Keith. I'm Katie, your friend!"

 

The fluid motion of his arm shook his upper body. He wouldn't give in to her and change his expression. He wore annoyance as a default. Though to be fair, most things annoyed him, and he felt nothing in expressing that.    
  
His ears twitched as his thoughts raced. He was still unsure how he felt about these humans on his planet. They may not be hostile, or aggressive, but he still didn't trust them. He shared nothing with them, and knew nothing of their intentions beyond what they said.    
  


Katie noticed his expression hadn't changed and he still looked annoyed. That was probably because he still couldn't understand what she was saying. She watched him as his ears twitched. It was just like he was a giant purple cat.  _ Cute _ .   
  


Keith took a step forward, closing some of the gap between the two, refusing to release her small hand in his. His stare was intense as he looked down at her, his ears flattened back.    
  
" _ Dov _ ." (Small.)   
  
She was caught off guard when he stepped closer to her. He was still holding her hand in his and didn't seem to have any interest in letting go of it. Katie's face felt warm and her heart sped up. She looked up at him towering over her as he stared at her intently and said something in Galra she didn't understand. "Hmm? What does that mean Keith?"   
  


More useless words. It did neither of them any good if they couldn't understand each other. The flapping of her lips reminded him of a gesture his parents shared when greeting each other after the day, in the morning, sometimes randomly throughout the day. He had never seen other Galra share this gesture, and always assumed it was a sort of earth greeting.   
  
Maybe that's what I need to do, then.   
  
Keith slowly lowered his head down to hers, and pressed his lips to hers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys are interested in keeping up with us and any updates on this, you can follow us on twitter [@miqitten](https://twitter.com/miqitten) and [@kacchakobitch](https://twitter.com/kacchakobitch).


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the comments. We appreciate it muchly. :)

Her lips were warm, and surprisingly soft. It probably shouldn't be surprising, but Keith has no idea what to expect. 

 

She looked at him with confusion on her face as she watched him bend down and lean into her.  _ What is he-! _ _   
_   
_ Am I even doing it right? Mom and dad's eyes are always closed, too. _   
  
He shut his eyes tightly and breathed her in. He scent was...pleasant.  __ An interesting custom these humans shared .   
  
"Mmmph!" He kissed her. His lips were gentle but he was somewhat stiff, as if this was something he hadn't done before. His mouth was warm and inviting. She lost herself in the kiss and closed her eyes, melting into him. It was as if they were the only two people in the whole universe.

 

Katie buckled under him.  _ I must be doing something right _ . Her frame fell into him and he was quick to catch her in his arms.   
  
_ Maybe not. Did I break her? _   
  
But...it wasn't so bad. The weight of her against him, even in her space suit, was something he didn't mind so much. It reminded him of the embraces he shared with his parents when he was younger. This was a warmth he had not experienced in years, and it felt really good.

 

Taken away by the intimate moment, Katie let herself fall into his arms. She wrapped her own arms around his waist as she clung to him tightly. His embrace was warm, comforting, and she felt safe.   
  
"Wh-what the hell!"    
  
Shane turned at the pilot, Lance's, exclamation to see his son and Katie sharing a moment too intimate for their first few hours knowing each other. "Oh no. No no no no no no no no no. Keith!" He took off to the two of them in their embrace, pulling his son away from the girl. "Keith," Shane brought his voice low, speaking in Galra, while Keith looked to him in utter shock, "that's not something you do right away like that."

 

Katie was snapped back to reality when she heard shouting from the others. Not long after, a force suddenly pulled them apart from each other. Shane was speaking to Keith in his language and Lance and Hunk stared at her in shock. 

_ Oh my god I just kissed an alien! And it wasn't that bad... _   
  
"What? You and mom do it all the time!" Keith defended, a little on edge for being scolded for trying to play nice with the aliens on his planet.   
  
"Ah, well," Shane rubbed the back of his neck, "it's a... special gesture, Keith. You should only share that with someone you love."   
  
Keith turned a deep scarlet. He knew love. He loved his parents. He loved training. He loved his home. But he definitely did not love the human girl he just shared that moment with. A deep seated embarrassment settled in the pit of his stomach. He turned his head away, pouting under his blush. Locks of black hair fell forward and his eyes.   
  


Her face was bright red with embarrassment. She turned to face a very bashful looking Keith.   
  
Shane turned back to Katie, equally as embarrassed as his son, "I'm sorry, Katie. He doesn't understand the gravity of a kiss. Please don't misunderstand."   
  
She turned back to face Shane and couldn't stop herself from rambling off an apology. "No no, it's okay... Um, I just thought this might be some kind of Galra tradition and uh, I'm so sorry I kissed your son, Dr. Kogane. I didn't mean anything by it either. My curiosity got the better of me and before I knew what happened it happened and I uh...uh…”

 

"Actually," Shane's scientist goggles came down, "Galra only have one gesture of affection. The easiest way to translate it is 'Thought'. They press their foreheads together and breathe in sync, their eyes shut. They exchange thoughts and prayers of sorts for the others health and happiness." 

 

Katie breathed a sigh of relief after the embarrassing incident. "That's a really sweet gesture.”

 

Shane looked to his son again, understanding in his eyes. "Keith may seem put out, but I can tell he's excited to meet other humans. But," he sighed and turned back to Katie, "He never thought to pay attention to my English classes. The city even speaks English, now."   
  
“I'm interested to learn more of the different traditions the Galra share and how they compare to those back on Earth!" Katie exclaimed. Her curiosity quickly overrode her deep embarrassment.   
  


She looked over at Keith and flashed him a sympathetic smile, then returned her attention to Dr. Kogane. "I appreciate his efforts in learning our customs, so please make sure he knows I'm not upset about it or anything. Actually I'm interested in learning some of the Galra language, too, if you'd teach me? Oh! And speaking of that, Keith said something to me earlier. I think it was ‘ _ dov’ _ ? What does that mean?"   
  


"Dov?" Shane lifted an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose," his eyes looked to the sky, pondering, "I guess the closest translation is small. A more direct translation is short or small creature, specifically."   
  


"Oh!" She giggled at that response. "I guess that makes sense. I am pretty short! Keith seems very observant. I bet he's pretty smart, having you as a father!"

  
Dr. Kogane looked towards his son, a sly smile on his lips. "Keith said that to you, huh?" Keith's red and purple blush turned even darker. "Interesting.. But," he turned back to Katie, "I will not teach you."   
  
He turned on his heel, and strode to his son. The dusty surface crunched under his feet as he came to his son's side, and clapped him on the back, "Keith will."   
  
When Dr. Kogane explained that Keith would be the one teaching her the language her blush returned to her cheeks. She instantly thought back to their intimate moment earlier. "Oh! I guess if he doesn't mind then that would be okay..." She turned to look at Keith again, trying not to look him directly in the eyes. "Would you teach me some of your language Keith?"   
  


Keith was beginning to understand when she was speaking, but not what. He picked out his name and that was it. He cast an unsure look to his father, who quickly uttered that he volunteered Keith to teach Katie, this human girl, the Galra language.   
  
"What?" He hissed to his father, "How am I supposed to do that?"   
  
"You'll figure it out."   
  
Keith gave Katie a vicious glare. " _ Vos _ ." (Yes.)   
  
"He agreed!" Shane exclaimed, a beaming smile on his face. "Please try to teach him English, as well. Maybe he'll learn better from you than me."

 

Katie wasn't sure if Keith's answer was positive with the way he was looking at her and the harsh tone in his response. However according to Dr. Kogane it was a positive reaction.    
  
"Yes of course, I'll do my best to teach him! I'm looking forward to our lessons Keith!"   
  


Her incessant calling of his name grated against his ears. It would not normally bother him, he would think, if he could understand what else she was saying. For all he knew, she was constantly insulting him, and his father was going along with it.   
  
He crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head from her, refusing to meet her stare anymore. "Bakibaki bakibaki..." (blah blah blah blah) Keith grumbled to himself.    
  
But fine, if he was going to do this, she'd be working on his terms. They'd begin in the morning.

* * *

 

 

The morning sun was a bright orange and was barely awake. Keith, however, was already wide awake. He had not woken at such an early hour since he first began training under his mother. But if this human girl was so willing to learn about him and his people and language, he would not complain.   
  
It was not hot out yet. The cool air of the previous night still blanketed the desert of soil ahead of him. Each hill he crested was easier each time as his body became accustomed to moving so early again. In the distance, he could spot the space craft. He could see it was sealed tight, even from the distance he remained.   
  
Hesitation settled in. He was not fit to teach, much less teach the Galran language without an inkling of a grasp of English, even at his own fault.    
  
_ Damnit _ , he thought, clenching his fists. He would not back down. He was Keith, and he never shied away from a challenge.   
  
He slid down the hill and trotted to the craft, indeed finding it sealed. He circled it a few times before finally finding the semblance of a door. He banged his fist against it.   
  


_ Thump thump thump thump. _ _   
_   
Katie was jolted out of her sleep by a loud thudding sound coming from outside the ship.  __ What the hell was that? She climbed out of her bed and looked around at her sleeping crewmates. "How can they even sleep through that noise?" she muttered to herself. She made her way towards the exit and pressed the button to open the door. It slid open and she was greeted by the noisemaker.   
  
"Keith?" Katie rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and blinked while trying to focus. She had just gone to sleep about 4 hours ago. She was eager to type up her notes from yesterday and stayed up all night doing so. She didn't think when Keith had said they would start their lessons the next morning he meant this early.   
  


"Ast norn," (Good morning) he stated and walked past her. He was ready to start his day, regardless if she was.    
  
The inside of the craft was dark and cold. A gentle hum hung in the air, no doubt their atmosphere and cooling system. It was a nice ship, one of the nicest he's seen in years. Well, it had been years since he'd been into the capital.   
  


Keith said something to her that sounded like good morning. Before she could respond though, he  entered the ship. Katie groaned as she followed him inside. She was too tired for this.   
  


_ Clack clack _ . His sandals slapped against the metal floor beneath him. It was cold in the craft, his bald skin chilled. A few emergency lights were on to keep it from being completely dark inside, as well as a few lights along the walls on the floor to help illuminate the path. He cocked an eyebrow and sauntered around. In the distance, he could hear the sound of snoring. Most likely from the other two humans Katie brought with her to his planet.   
  
His ears twitch in irritation.   
  
He turned on his heel to look back at Katie, still in loose, different clothing than what she wore the previous day. Her clothing covering her chest hung off one shoulder, showing off various dots of slightly discolored skin. Or dirt. He would be convinced it was dirt had he not seen her the previous day, covered head to toe in her space suit. Her legs were bare, mostly, with only a small cloth covering.    
  
"Nik bont," a simple and curt command. (Get ready).   
  


"I don't know what you said but I'm assuming you want me to change and follow you," Katie responded with a yawn. "Just give me like 5 minutes." She held her hand up hoping he would understand what she was trying to say.   
  


He continued to scan and look over the craft regardless of her disappearance. There were beeps and blips, flashing lights, and the unmistakable appearance of a notebook and a computer of sorts. It seemed to function the same, the more he inspected it, to the tech on Daibazaal, but was much more akin to the kind of technology he'd seen the foreign Alteans use. 

  
Katie grabbed some clothes out of a one of her drawers and headed into the bathroom to change. Since the surface of the planet was habitable for humans, she decided not to wear the space suit this time. Instead she slipped into a light green t-shirt and a pair of beige cargo shorts. While she was in the bathroom she took the time to brush her teeth and wash her face. 

 

With her reappearance, he gave a curt nod. He could already tell it would be a long day of their first lessons. He led the way out of the craft, kicking up dirt when his sandals collided with the earth below him. The morning sun's warmth a pleasant glow on his pale purple skill.

 

She pulled her hair into a side ponytail and exited the ship to find Keith waiting for her outside. "All right I'm ready," she gave him a tired smile and thumbs up.   
  
He turned back to Katie, and motioned greatly to the sky. The sun, the faint glow of the day ahead, the beginning of a new day.    
  
"Norn."   
  


Katie followed Keith as he led her from where her ship was stationed. It was a fairly nice morning on Daibazaal. The sun couldn't have risen too long ago. She pondered what kinds of weather occurred on this planet. She made a mental note to ask Dr. Kogane about that later.   
  
She watched as he gestured towards the sky.    
  
_ I guess the lessons start now. _   
  
" _ Norn, _ " she repeated as she nodded at him. Could it be the sky? Or maybe the sun?  _ Wait a second _ . It was similar to what he said earlier, but this time it was only part of the phrase.   
  
_ If ‘ast norn’ means good morning, I’m guessing, then maybe ‘norn’ is morning _ .   
  


His gait was steady as he paced over to something glittering in the light. Picking it up, he saw it was a pen, a very common writing utensil.    
  
He held it carefully between his fingers, holding it in front of him in her eye sight. Each glint and glimmer in the morning light was more brilliant than the last. He hoped this was a good omen for their time together.    
  
"Din."   
  


Katie watched at he held up the familiar looking object. It looked like one of her pens. She must have dropped it yesterday when she was exploring the planet.   
  
" _ Din _ ," She pointed at the pen he was holding. "Pen.  _ Din _ is pen, Keith."

 

His eyes narrowed at her words. "Din..." he mumbled again, and mouthed the word 'pen' to himself a few times. It was a similar motion, he supposed. Enough so. He almost chuckled to himself at how almost similar the two words were for the object they shared across lightyears. He released the pen from his fingers, allowing it to drop a few inches before snatching it in his iron grip.  
  
" _Pehn_ ," he said confidently.   
  
Locks of black hair ruffled as his ears waggled in glee. Maybe he could finally start to get the hang of this English thing.

 

* * *

  
  


Together, they spent the morning practicing new words. But the morning turned to afternoon, turned to evening. The sky above them lightened then darkened again as they spent their day together. Often, Keith grew frustrated, and would shout at her in a language she didn’t understand. Katie sometimes got frustrated as well, occasionally raising her voice and scratching at her head and ruffling her own hair. She had to redo putting up her ponytail at least six times that day from the constant ruffling. Life would be much easier had she kept her shorter hair, but the journey allowed her some time to attempt to grow it back out to see how she liked it.

 

Days after days of practice yielded some result. They could greet each other in the other language in the morning. They could ask each other what the object they were holding was, often turning into an argument of pronunciation. They could talk about their days. Katie often talked about how Lance annoyed her, often saying things that were unnecessary and caused her to be flustered, but they were and always would be friends. She told him about her past with the two, and how much closer she got to Hunk on the journey, talking about each other’s families.

 

Keith could recount no such relationships. He didn’t have friends like Katie did. He was aggressive, and yet quiet as a child. No other children wanted to play with him, especially not with who his mother was as the village fighting expert and teacher. His father and lineage also kept him an outsider. He was never Galra  _ enough  _ for the other villagers. So, he just listened to all her stories, laughing when she did, and nodding along. 

 

Was this bonding?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This resolution was something we were looking forward to. We hope you'll like it.


End file.
